What is Salvia?

Salvia, or sage, is a large genus of plants, encompassing hundreds of species grown for culinary and ornamental purposes.

Salvia divinorum is known as The Diviner's Sage, The Sage of the Seers, ska Maria Pastora, or simply as salvia. A herb posessing strong psychoactive properties and many holistic uses, it is a member of the mint or Lamiaceae family. The word Salvia divinorum means "sage of seers" when literally translated from Latin. The word salvia alone means "savior" or "the healer".

Salvia is used by many shamanic tribes in South America. The plant is said to bring about strong visionary states of consciousness. It is used in healing and spiritual rituals. Shamans will provide villagers with the leaves of the salvia plant that they will chew. The shaman then accompanies the patient while he or she dozes off into their trance. The experience is said to repair the soul.

United States of America (Press Release) April 8, 2009 --
Salvia, or sage, is a large genus of plants, encompassing hundreds of species grown for culinary and ornamental purposes. Many garden supply stores carry several salvia species, differentiating between purely ornamental salvia and plants which can be used for cooking. All of the plants are characterized by upright flower stalks with clusters of often brightly colored flowers, along with square stems and slender grey-green to bright green leaves. When salvia is planted in an area it likes, the plant will flourish and reseed itself with little care.

Salvia species include annual, biennial, or perennial herbs, along with woody based sub-shrubs. The stems are typically angled like other members in Lamiaceae. The flowers are produced in spikes, racemes, or panicles, and generally produce a showy display with flower colors ranging from blue to red, with white and yellow less common. The calyx is normally tubular or bell shaped, without bearded throats, and divided into two parts or lips, the upper lip entire or three-toothed, the lower two-cleft. The corollas are often claw shaped and are two-lipped with the upper lip entire or notched and spreading. The lower lip typically has three lobes with the middle lobe longest. The stamens are reduced to two short structures with anthers two-celled, the upper cell fertile, and the lower imperfect. The flower styles are two-cleft. The fruits are smooth nutlets and many species have a mucilaginous coating.

Many salvias have hairs growing on the leaves, stems, and flowers, which help to reduce water loss in some species. Sometimes the hairs are glandular and secrete volatile oils that typically give a distinct aroma to the plant. When the hairs are rubbed or brushed, some of the oil-bearing cells are ruptured, releasing the oil. This often results in the plant being unattractive to grazing animals and some insects.[6]

Salvia species are used as food plants by the larvae of some Lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) species including the bucculatricid leaf-miner Bucculatrix taeniola which feeds exclusively on the genus and the Coleophora case-bearers C. aegyptiacae, C. salviella (both feed exclusively on S. aegyptiaca), C. ornatipennella and C. virgatella (both recorded on S. pratensis).